Travel – Page 70

Madrid: An evening walk and Almendro 13

January 23, 2016 mmm-yoso Madrid, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

Lunch was still with us after visiting the Reina Sofia so we took a walk around all those now familiar places. We headed back up to Puerto del Sol…….

We had been told that the department store El Cortes Ingles had what they called the "Gourmet Experience". Having been to Japan, I wondered how this measures up to the "Depachika", so we headed to the Callao location to check it out.

There were some nice gourmet items, but we were looking for something to eat and the shops really didn't grab us.

They view though, it very nice.

So it was back down and around to Puerto del Sol, where I finally got a decent photo of Real Casa de Correos which used to be the Post Office Building and now houses the Regional Government of Madrid. The clock in the tower of the building officially chimes in the New Year.

As I noted in an earlier post, the Missus really wanted a photo of the Tio Pepe sign at night. Well, it was dusk (845pm) and still a bit too early, so we had some time to kill. So we made a loop back to Plaza Mayor.

Where the Chinese Massage/Reflexology folks were making a killing.

And then there was this weird "creature", the one to the left in the photo. It would site quietly, then jump up when some unsuspecting tourist walked by scaring the crap out of them. Strangely, folks liked taking their photo with the "thing".

Down through the corridor is Mercado de San Miguel.

The last time we walked by was during morning hours and the place wasn't open. On this evening it was quite busy.

We weren't tempted by the stuff here either as it seemed a bit too touristy for us…..

By now the sun had set (945pm) so we headed on back to Puerto del Sol. And finally! The Missus (well, at least I), got Her shot of the Tio Pepe sign!

So finally we decided to get something to eat. Nothing too heavy, but we knew we needed to get something. So back to "Emilio's list" and I found a recommendation. We headed back toward the La Latina area. Instead of heading to the busy Calle Cava Baja, we went one street over to Calle del Almendro and a place simply named Almendro 13.

The scene here was totally different from Calle Cava Baja. Much more chill, quiet, laid back, and local.

We were greeted with a smile and they found a small corner table for us in the corner which was perfect. The Missus got the house white Vina Almendro 13, which you drank from Caña sized glasses and I got a beer. The Huevos Rotos was the dish Emilio recommended we get here. It was good thing we saw an entire portion (racione) come out. It looked like it could feed a family of four! We ordered a media racione, which was still more than enough for us.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know that the Missus loves Her eggs…..She can easily put away 6 a day if left to Her own devices. The eggs were fabulous, rich orange in color, yolks creamy, the yolks so flavorful. Why do potatoes in places like Spain or Peru taste so much better? I didn't dwell on that too much, I just enjoyed the potato-y goodness. The jamon was thick sliced as if from the ends, thus nice and salty, adding some toothsomeness to the dish. Just what we needed on this evening…..I don't recall the prices, but we got away really cheap on this evening.

We wanted something simple and got exactly that.

Taberna Almendro 13
Calle del Almendro 13
Madrid, Spain

And the Missus got Her Tio Pepe shot as well.

It was a wonderful day.

Madrid: Restaurante Badila and Museo Reina Sofía

January 22, 2016 mmm-yoso Madrid, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

I'm going to do a few posts out of chronological order. We did visit the South of France following our stay in San Sebastian, then ended back up in Madrid. The city, the first time around just didn't impress us much we'd walked around a bit, eaten some decent, but not outstanding meals and were just a bit underwhelmed. The rather griminess and grittiness of the city along with the heat and such had not impressed much on us. This was to change soon enough. This time around, we were staying at an apartment right on Plaza de Tirso de Molina a very busy square in Madrid. It meant a walk of over a mile from Atocha Station, which wasn't so bad. You'd think that being in the middle of the crowds would make things worse; but the opposite was true. First off, the apartment we were staying at. Not just the view of the plaza…..

But the set-up as well with good A/C….quite important as the temps would be in the 90's until 9-10pm…no wonder dinner was eaten so late. But the double paned windows minimized the sound of the lively square below.

As a big bonus, one of the owners; Emilio apparently loved to eat. While checking in, I mentioned his great list of restaurants….then, just by luck, we started talking about Jamon….not Jamon Iberico….but Jamon Bellota, and the importance of how the jamon is sliced. We were in like Flynn! He asked us to stow our luggage, then walked us to his favorite local eatery…"nothing fancy, but very good, local style food"! It would turn out to be just the kind of place we'd been looking for. It was right down the side street, but there was no way we'd have found Restaurante Badila without him. Emilio introduced us to the owner….they found us a table in the packed little restaurant, which featured "menu del dia"…..a menu of items available for the day.

The little place was packed…..all locals, looking for a good lunch at decent prices. The deal was a soup or salad, a main, dessert, and drinks (which included a glass of wine on weekends) for a set price. This would turn out to be one of our favorite meals of the trip….even without foie gras!

Things just started out perfectly for us as I'd ordered the Salmorejo…….which has become a staple in our household.

The wonderful "taste of sunshine" from the ripe tomatoes, the grassy-peppery flavor of the olive oil…it was refreshing on such a hot day and had that "aaah" factor to it. Smooth and creamy, onion for pungency, the jamon for a bit of salty-savory flavor. Man, this was so good……it left an indelible mark on me.

We'd had mollejas de cordero, goat sweetbreads before, but coated with a light crunchy batter to provide that contrast in textures….crunch and creamy was just right.

And provided in salad was just perfect for such a hot day.

The Huevos con Chorizo was probably the most mundane dish of the day.

But since the Missus loves eggs, this really didn't disappoint either.

The Estofado Carne was also delicious and quite different from what I thought I'd get.

The beef was so flavorful and tender, the sauce almost like a light béchamel………this was delicious.

And there was dessert….which the Missus enjoyed.

No, there were no Michelin stars here. Just honest good food, the type locals like to eat. It really made our day and we started seeing Madrid in a different way. We started understanding things. A good meal can do that. In fact, I'm looking forward to returning someday soon. To the simple restaurant down a side street……

Thanks Emilio!

Restaurante Badila
Calle San Pedro Martir 6
Madrid, Spain

Emilio had left us to our own devices once he found us seats in Badila. We had the keys to the apartment and a list of places to eat and the rest was up to us.

It was getting fairly warm so we did the Spanish thing….it was siesta time!

When we awoke, the Missus had things planned out for us…….on our earlier visit we checked out the Prado Museum twice….during the free early evening hours. On our return trip, it was The Reina Sofia Museum's turn.

There were actually quite a few people waiting to get into the museum, but the line moved fast……and heck, it was free (between 7 and 9pm).

As I've mentioned before, I really don't know much about art. But this trip has really given me a greater appreciation of it. I was truly moved by viewing Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez. One artist I do know of is Joan Miró whose works I recall seeing at the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu. I've always enjoyed his somewhat whimsical and almost playful works. So of course I enjoyed viewing his works here. Next time we're in Barcelona, we'll make sure to visit his museum.

There was of course, works by Dali, Diego Rivera, and many more, like this work named Un Mundo (The World) by Angeles Santos.

There was one particular work that I wanted to see. I'd mentioned gaining a real appreciation of the work of Picasso, then being moved by his painting and the story of the Bombing of Guernica. So the main reason for really wanting to visit was to view Guernica by Picasso. Just viewing a photo of the painting inspired us to visit the city. The painting is huge….much larger than I expected. The size creates a greater impact…the vignettes…the stories each part of the work tells.

Museo Reina Sofía
Calle Santa Isabel 52
Madrid, Spain

Days were fairly long during this part of the year. It was past 8 when we left the museum but as is the way in Madrid, things seemed to just be getting started.

And as is the way in large cities. There are thousands of little scenes. In this one, the older man slowly makes his move……

And in the end, got a peck on the cheek and a slap on the shoulder…….

Love knows no age limit in Madrid…….

San Sebastian: Plaza Gipuzkoa and Casa Urola

January 21, 2016 mmm-yoso San Sebastian, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

The Missus really wanted to work off what we ate at Bar Bergara, even though we walked around Monte Urgell and all the way to Gros. So we walked into Centro and came across a nice park area; known as Plaza Gipuzkoa.

With beautiful landscaping, ponds, trees, and interesting white marble clock-table, surrounded by Neo-classical buildings, it made for a nice stop to stroll, people watch, and just enjoy the fresh air.

I'm sometime interested in statues you'll find in these parks. The one I saw here is for native son José María Usandizaga, a Basque Composer who succumbed to tuberculosis at the young age of 28.

The meteorological pergola (gazebo) was quite interesting as well. Though I really couldn't quite make out how it worked. It did keep me occupied for a while though.

We wandered a bit more through the street of "Centro"….doing some window shopping, the Missus considering a few purchases.

Until She'd had enough. It was time to walk back to the apartment.

So, we got back to the street where our apartment was located…..

And suddenly decided to make one more stop. This one was close by, just a few doors down at Casa Urola.

The upstairs area features a well regarded restaurant; but we decided to sit downstairs and have some pintxos.

We started with the Ensalada de Hongos, Pinones, en Idiazabal.

A nice refreshing salad; the light Idiabazal (this one didn't taste smoked) cheese bolstered by the pine nuts.

The Brocheta Pulpo y Papada (pork jowl fat) was amazing……

Tender octopus draped in pork fat……need I say more?

The Carrillera was passable. Man those potatoes had a texture of thick cream……

And no meal would be complete without some "Basque Butter" Foie Gras.

You'd think that after having Foie Gras for almost every meal; sometimes twice, we'd be getting tired of the stuff. Ummm…..no way! Nicely seared Mi Cuit with an almost jelly like interior. Decadent and delicious.

Along with a couple of beers (for me) and a "tinto" (for the Missus), this was a nice low keyed last meal in San Sebastian.

Casa Urola
Fermin Calbeton 20
San Sebastian, Spain

Our apartment was literally a few steps away from Casa Urola. Eating that last piece of Foie Gras, I was suddenly worried that we'd be marching back up Monte Urgull. But the missus only wanted to take a short walk, "to help digest" and all that.

While walking around we passed these two American "street kids" whom we first saw begging for money near Brexta Market. We later saw them partaking of the "cash crop" on Mount Urgull, and now they asked us for money the second time around. We acted like we didn't speak English or Spanish. It was time to go……….

But first, we had a nice Txakoli break.

While I couldn't get up to the pouring height of the really nice bartender at Bar la Cepa; Txakoli is a very dry, acidic, "fresh" wine that is traditionally poured from a height of about two meters to aerate the wine, creating bubbles, and reducing the carbon dioxide. It was a nice way to end our last evening in San Sebastian.

The next morning we headed to the train station. Instead of catching a cab or the bus the Missus (of course) chose to walk.

Actually, it was a nice walk. We had a cup of coffee in the train station, then caught the train to Hendaye, then Saint Jean de Luz.

San Sebastian: Monte Urgull and Bar Bergara (Gros)

January 16, 2016 mmm-yoso San Sebastian, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

After a nice self catered lunch and a short nap, the Missus decided we needed to "do something".

Not quite sure what "something" was, we headed out. The streets had definitely gotten much more lively with both tourists and locals. As we arrived at the port, the Missus looked up, pointed, and said, "this is where we're going"…..

She had pointed at the Statue of Christ at the top of Monte Urgull.

So we headed off……

There's a church located at the port and there was a wedding taking place. And you know….the (amateur) paparazzi just love a wedding.

Especially when, whom I think is the Flower Girl, looks so adorable…..

Even the washroom attendants have to watch!

I really enjoyed the port area……even though there are touristy restaurants, the aquarium and all that, there's still a "lived in" feeling to the place.

The walk up the Mount Urgull was nice….there weren't too many people to be found…..except small groups of young folks partaking of the…ahem….."cash crop".

For some reason, I really like cannons….don't ask me why. Even when they seem to be pointed in the wrong direction. These were aimed back at the city.

We really enjoyed the views…..

I love this view….the Isla de Santa Clara (Santa Clara Island) which lies right in Concha Bay.

The view at the top is rather anti-climatic, though it's a nice little walk and the views are quite nice. I'm sure on a clear day, it's quite stunning. We'd always look to find the Cathedral, which rises quite distinctly above the San Sebastian skyline.

There was this pair of street kids…..ahem musicians we kept seeing; first earlier in the day at the bandstand; then outside Brexta Market asking for money. We saw them up here having a nice "smoke" as well. The Missus told me, "you know, when we start seeing the same people over and over, it's time to go, right?"

But, there were more cannons to see!

We headed back down on one of the trails which actually led back to Old Town.

And so we ended up back in Old Town. The Missus however, wanted to see more. So I told Her, why not head on over then Urumea River to Gros; which kind of looks like San Diego with a decidedly Spanish vibe. I was told this is San Sebastian's version of Surf City. My bad for not taking photos of the beach….which…well, being from Hawaii and living in San Diego…you know…

Gros was interesting. It seemed more local. I had a recommendation which I followed up with some research of a tapas shop that had won a bunch of awards named Bar Bergara.

So, I really thought it would not be right if I left San Sebastian without trying just regular tapas, the stuff from the counter.

And there's no denying, the stuff here looked very pretty.

As a whole it was a mixed bag, for me, the bread really did not stand up well. Especially with the Piquillo Peppers and the Anchovy. The flavors though, were quite good.

The Foie Gras was very tasty; but again, the bread had suffered from sitting around.

The one item that really did well was the "De Pato al Calvados", basically duck in a apple brandy in puff pastry. The pastry held up quite well, the pine nuts really added to this this.

Overall, a very inexpensive meal, though I'm not sold on the counter top tapas. Very nice folks, the place has the feel of a fast casual restaurant. And while I'm still not sold on the stuff lying along the bar….the presentation at Bergara is quite stunning.

Bar Bergara
General Artetxe Kalea 8
San Sebastian, Spain

As we walked back….of to try more tapas; it became quite clear. There's unfinished business here; we'd arrived on the wrong days, there was much more to see and eat, we'd have to return some day soon. And all of this before our last stop of the day!

San Sebastian: Brexta Market, Aitor Lasa, and Galpasoro

January 15, 2016 mmm-yoso Basque Country - Spain and France, Markets & Grocers, Spain, Travel

We love exploring public markets whenever we travel. We were just a block away from Brexta Public Market, so we were obviously going to pay them a visit. Along the side of the two large market buildings have been turned into a shopping center……

There's a nice produce "market" set-up alongside the buildings.

And heading down below the shopping center…..

You'll find a wonderful meat and fish market, with tons of stalls. The selection is quite amazing, especially the various charcuterie, cheese, and cuts of meat. You could literally spend and hour or more just wandering around. There are prepared food stalls and vendors selling all sorts of Basque food items.

We soon left the market however, as the Missus wanted to check out places out side of the Old Town. So we headed out. Past the statue of the Drummer and the Plaque with the lyrics to La Marcha de San Sebastian, which I was told is San Sebastian's City Anthem. Each January 20th marks Tamboradda in the city. From midnight on the 19th to midnight on the 20th drums pound constantly and there's….well, a party of course, which lasts (gasp) 24 hours! It must be quite and event.

As we expected; San Sebastian Centro is different from the Old Town. But, there was still an old world charm; just with more coffee shops, and some nice, upscale, shopping. We enjoyed just meandering up Calle de Urbieta, first taking a short break for a cup of coffee. Before arriving at the impressive Catedral del Buen Pastor de San Sebastián (Cathedral of the Good Shepherd). The Basilica of Santa Maria del Coro lies almost directly across from the Cathedral. It is said that you can even see the doors of the Cathedral from the stairs of the Basilica.

We took a walk inside the massive cathedral which was rather austere. It was very quiet in contrast to the busy traffic on the street outside.

Leaving the cathedral, we headed back to the Old Town. Of course the subject of lunch came out. We were getting hungry and it was still early. So we decided to self cater. I'd read about a market named Aitor Lasa right across the street from Brexta Market.

The rather tiny little market stocked a nice variety of cheese and charcuterie.

And we ended up purchasing some cheese, head cheese, eggs, and chorizo.

While paying for our groceries, we noticed some beautiful mushrooms. One especially caught my eye since I'd never seen it before.

The mushrooms are displayed in the top right of the photo above. I was told they were "cepes"……fresh porcinis! How could I not get a few? With all of this, bread was a must, so we asked the woman working the produce. At first she tried to sell us the bread stocked at the store. But soon enough, she wrote down the name of a place and drew a dot on my nap.

We loved the folks working here.

Aitor Lasa
Aldamar Kalea 12
San Sebastian, Spain

Next we decided to head back down the stairs of Brexta Market and head for a stand that had caught our attention during our earlier visit.

The gentleman behind the counter was so friendly, handing out samples to everyone. We had decided to taste some of the olive oils for sale and decided to get a very nice Arbequina Olive Oil; mildly grassy with a nice pepperiness to it. We also got some olives; sin sel….light on the salt. The olive was perfect; we finished the last of it in Bordeaux right before flying back to Madrid.

We also headed off to the fish market portion of the market which we had skipped earlier.

We loved the displays….some of them seemed artistic and somewhat whimsical to us. What do you think?

We then headed back upstairs and off to getting some bread.

The shop was located right on Calle Mayor. We'd passed it a couple of times, but never even noticed it. There was no missing it on this morning. Check out the line!

So we stood in line and eventually got our bread. It was quite good; perhaps not on the level of what we had in Bordeaux, but it sure did well for lunch.

Galparsoro Okindegia
Calle Mayor 6
San Sebastian, Spain

And while the kitchen wasn't too well stocked; luckily I had the olive oil. There was salt, pepper, and also some red wine vinegar. Still, this was so good! The Missus still mentions the earthy, yet mellow flavor of these. It turned out to be a nice, simple spread. Quick with minimal prep and clean-up.

After I cleaned up, it was time for a short nap……

Zen Peninsula (Millbrae) and Chocolates from Rue Du Thé/Leland Tea Company (Burlingame)

January 12, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Chocolate, Dim Sum, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

**** Zen Peninsula has closed

We had really enjoyed our time visiting Petaluma and hitting the Cheese Trail, which was a great time. But, all things must come to an end, and it was time head back to SFO. But not before the really friendly cat came by to bid us farewell.

I'd planned a single stop on the way to the airport and we decided to getting Dim Sum at Zen Peninsula which had been recommended to us. A big plus was it was basically on the way to the airport. The small parking lot is quite odd here, since the dining room is one of those cavernous dim sum places.

We were hungry and ended up ordering way too much food….well, it didn't seem to be a lot when we ordered, but the portion sizes seemed quite large.

We were also quite surprised at how slowly this place filled up….a slow trickle of people. The place wasn't even full when we left at 1145. Anyway, on to the food.

The Missus enjoyed the Chicken Feet.

This was decently flavored, good soy, fermented black bean, but nothing special. Still, it was toe-sucking goodness to the Missus.

The Gailan was under-cooked; very crunchy, lacking in flavor.

The flavor of the Pork Neck was nice; sweet and savory.

But the Missus didn't care for the almost crunchy texture of it.

The portion size of the Soy Sauce Noodles was quite large.

This was ok if a bit too salty.

The Missus saw Turnip Cake with XO Sauce and automatically thought it would be like Sea Harbour.

No such luck Chuck. The flavor was on the milder side and the radish cake a bit too mushy for our taste. Still, not bad. One funny thing; we didn't want to waste food so ended up taking this on our flight…….nothing like the smell of XO sauce on Virgin America!

I saw the Mustard Steamed Pork Intestine and decided I needed to try it. It was very fragrant, and the "sauce" tasted good, though I wasn't a big fan of all the scum.

And while there were some bits that looked like part of the Piggy's last meal floating around; the pungency of the dish masked all of that. This also added to the pungency of our carry-on….I really felt bad. In fact, I made sure not to buy any washed rind cheeses so as to not bother other passengers…..and here I was bringing pork intestine along for the flight. Luckily, no one sat around us and the flight was relatively empty. I didn't see anyone sniffing around wondering "what the heck is that smell"……

One last item I wanted to try was the Duck Liver Sausage Bun. Think ducky lapcheong.

While I felt the steamed bun could have been a bit lighter….it seemed to be getting gummy pretty quickly; I liked the flavor. The Missus's Shandong roots betrayed Her as She declared this way too sweet.

In spite of what you might think upon reading to this point; this was a decent dim sum meal; nothing spectacular, but still better, and cheaper than San Diego. Of course the Missus wanted to head to the SGV as soon as we got home.

Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA 94030

We finished lunch a bit earlier than expected, so I decided to head over to Burlingame. I'd heard that one of the Tea Shops also made tea infused chocolates. After finding a parking spot, which was a lot more difficult than I anticipated, then wandering around a bit….the shop isn't the easiest place to find….we got to Rue Du Thé , which I believe is also named Leland Tea Company.

Really friendly folks. And while not on the same level….according to the Missus as Wine Country Chocolates, She did enjoy what She selected. Especially the chili infused chocolates.

Rue Du Thé
1223 Donnelly Ave
Burlingame, CA 94010

We really enjoyed our short trip to the Bay Area. In fact, the Missus is already planning a return….for more cheese!

Thanks for reading!

Portland: Public Domain Coffee and Tasty n Alder (yet again)

January 8, 2016 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Portland, Oregon, Travel

*** Public Domain Coffee and Tasty n Alder have closed

We had a gameplan for our last morning in Portland. More on that later. First, we needed some coffee. Back in March, FOY (Friend of Yoso) "James" recommended Public Domain Coffee Never let it be said that I don't take recommendations seriously. Unlike many of the coffee shop in the downtown area which open later on weekend, Public Domain opens at 6am every day. Which made it an easy choice early on a Sunday morning.

They were doing some nice business at this early hour. Just a simple cup of coffee. Service was great and we enjoyed the place except for the two morons who blocked the condiment section….they kept adding cream, sugar, and whatever, then tasting their coffee, then adding more stuff…pouring off some coffee to compensate…wash…rinse…repeat….meanwhile a line was forming behind these two clueless, entitled knuckleheads…until we finally went, "excuse me, but can we get some sleeves…."

One other funny incident. There was an older gentleman, though perhaps life had made him look a bit older than he was, who was sitting on the sidewalk outside Public Domain. He seemed quite kind, asking for change, or a cup of coffee, addressing folks as "sir" and "ma'am". We got him some coffee and a croissant….and damn if he didn't give the Missus a bow and a flourish, finishing with what looked like a modified curtsy, which was pretty much worth the price of the cup of coffee and pastry.

Public Domain Coffee
603 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97205

We went back to our room and packed. Breakfast was going to be at….well, where else; Tasty n Alder, the decision was not up for negotiating. We travel light. On this trip, a single carry-on for both the Missus and I, a Tom Binh Aeronaut 45. Tasty n Alder doesn't open until 9am and out flight was at noon. On our visit the previous morning, we asked our server, who had also been our server on the previous two visits if she thought we could actually have breakfast here; catch the light rail, and make our flight back to San Diego. She believed we could do this. We'd have to be in line 20 minutes before the restaurant opened and she was sure we'd make it.

And so we got to the front door; with our bag, 20 minutes before the place opened. It was good advice. Within minutes there was a line behind us.

We got in and wouldn't you know it……we got the same server….I got her name…but sadly can't remember it right now. You know how the Missus enjoys the food here. All I've got to add is, that young lady was just on top of things, she was just amazing.

Besides the usual suspects, we also ordered the Watermelon Salad, which the Missus loved. This is what made ordering the Watermelon Salad at Risibisi a few months later an easy sell.

And just like that second visit seven months before, we were treated to some cake.

Which she brought with the check, knowing we were in a hurry. Touches like this mean that we'll always come back here……. We're just visitors….who knows when, or if, we'd ever be back. And still there's such a nice gesture.

Tasty n Alder
580 SW 12th Ave
Portland, OR 97205

And of course we made it to the airport with time to spare.

Portland: Toro Bravo and Upright Brewing

January 7, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Portland, Oregon, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

*** Toro Bravo has closed

To think we'd been to Tasty n Alder three times (it would be four by the time left) over the last year and had even been to Tasty n Sons, but still hadn't been to the first, John Gorham's original; Toro Bravo. I'd indeed read and heard a lot about the place; the Spanish inspired dishes, and having just returned from Spain, possibly my second favorite country to visit, the time seemed right.

Even though we'd done a good amount of walking already, the Missus was determined to walk to Toro Bravo. Hacing walked to Tasty n Sons the day before, this two mile walk was a piece of cake. It helped that it wasn't quite as hot as it was earlier in the day.

As you can see….Toro Bravo is the place to be. There was a line when we arrived. The place only takes reservations for groups of 7 to 14 people, so we had to arrive a bit before opening. We loved the service here; it was both efficient and polished, but relaxed, and not stuffy at all. There was never a time when we even had to consider flagging someone down, as our drinks were always full , the timing of clearing the table was amazing. And yet, we never, ever felt like anyone was hovering over us…..a nice plus was being seated in the comfy and cozy little nook called "the Make Out Room". Compared to the busy dining room…..

Portland Sept 2015 121

It was such a nice, private, space…..

While it seems like the Tasting Menu would be a nice choice, we went a la carte instead and were glad we did.

We started with two "kisses", think amuse like starters.

First up, the Spanish Kiss – "spherical olives".

Had we not been to Disfrutar a few months before, this El Bulli inspired, olive flavored spheres would have impressed us a bit more. As it stood, we found this to be quite mild in flavor, not quite the stunning bite we expected.

Same with the "Barcelona Kiss".

The one dish we really wanted to try was the Radicchio…..the version of this that Tasty n Alder serves is among the Missus's favorite dishes. So much so, that my copycat…let's called it "inspired by" version is a staple in our household.

I have to say, while this was decent, it really missed the richness, smokiness, and pure savory goodness of the TnA version. The vinaigrette was nice, but I think the tangy-creamy-rich dressing that TnA uses is better.

The Basque Piperade had all those components we love.

But in spite of the hearty look of the dish, this one also missed the mark. The grilled bread; was a bit too burned and bitter for us; and the entire dish was a bit lacking in overall flavor. We would have enjoyed a bit more acid, more salt…as a whole this tasted a bit flat to us.

At this point, I noticed something with the last two dishes; it seems that we were consuming what were the base of other dishes we'd had at Tasty n Alder and Tasty n Sons…the radicchio salad is obvious….but the piperade was so close to the shakshuka at Tasty n Sons, down to the grilled bread, and even the base flavors…we also found the shakshuka at TnS to be a bit lacking in flavor overall as well.

For us the real star of the "Beccerita" were the potatoes, which were prepped quite well and had great flavor. The sauce overwhelmed the octopus, which did have a very nice texture.

We also loved the potatoes the accompanied the nicely seasoned and very tasty Moorish Lamb Chop.

Loved the flavors; the charred and smokey lamb was very gamey.

By now we had a thought that perhaps the proteins here were the way to go and decided to end with the Drunken Pork, which proved to be a favorite.

While it looked like a hot mess; the combination of textures and flavors really did well together.

So things ended really well. Still, I think that Ataula is more our thing. Still, I'm glad we finally had a chance to check out Toro Bravo.

Toro Bravo
120 NE Russell St
Portland, OR 97212

We had really wanted to check out several breweries, but were just not able to this time around. With our time in PDX short, I decided that the one place we needed to check out was Upright Brewing.

Located in the basement in the office building, I loved the setting. You go and find the elevator (we found the stairs) and head down to the basement.

Past those double doors…..

And you were there……

A couple of tables in room with a few pulls, the place had this real speakeasy feel….you were in the basement of some business building in who knows where… Also, I love my Belgian style brews, so the French/Belgian Farmhouse style beers were just up my alley.

My favorites were the "Six" and "Seven", the six a bit prune-raisiny with sweet touches. The seven was a wonderful farmhouse saison, fresh, perhaps a bit too sweet for a saison, but I enjoyed it.

Upright Brewing
240 N Broadway
Portland, OR 97227

As always Portland is full of surprises for us.

Speaking of surprises….anyone know what this is?

San Sebastian: Atari Times 2 – Sirimiri Atari Akademy and Atari Gastroteka

January 2, 2016 mmm-yoso Basque Country - Spain and France, San Sebastian, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

As I mentioned previously; Sundays (and Mondays) weren't prime days for many of the better Pintxos (tapas) places during the off season in San Sebastian.

Still, I knew of one place on my list that was open. Right across from The Basilica of Santa Maria del Coro is Atari Gastroteka.

Atari came highly recommended by Candice, so we were glad they were open and doing some pretty good business. I quickly noticed "another Atari" around the corner. Sirimiri Atari Akademy, so I thought why not start there?

It seems that Sirmiri is more of a craft cocktail place. Since it was relatively early; just after 7pm, we managed to get a seat at the counter in the back.

Not in the mood for the typical pintxos on the counter, sitting at a table means ordering the pintxos calientes….basically items off the menu, which suited us fine. The missus got a tinto and I had a crianza (an older aged wine).

We really enjoyed sitting here because we got to watch the garde manger area and the folks expediting the dishes. And isn't that a sous vide immersion circulator?

Of course we started with the Foie Gras Terrine. Remember when I coined the term "Basque Butter"? Well, I think this is a perfect example of that…..looks like a stick of butter, doesn't it?

This was quite a huge portion. It was nicely "foie forward", the pear puree added a mild sweetness without going overboard, the butter toasts were almost like brioche. Hard to fault this.

The Ensalada de Queso de Cabra wasn't very exciting. But we felt a bit guilty having all that foie.

The Solomillo was very tasty, though a bit on the chewy side.

That cherry compote did a nice job of cutting the rice mushroom based sauce. Nice dish.

At this point we had finished our wine and decided to make it Atari times 2 and go next door.

Man, the bar was packed.

We asked on of the Servers for a table and she said it would be a short wait. So the missus got a glass of Txacoli and I got a beer. I really didn't get my hopes up because the place was so busy, but wouldn't you know it, somehow the woman found me about 10 minutes later and told me our table was ready. I was quite impressed and thankful. I told her I really appreciated her work and she said, "oh, do not worry…..this is your table, all night if you want, please enjoy!" And we did our best…..

Starting with the Huevo a Baja Temperatura – basically an egg cooked at a low temp….. The Missus was in heaven.

The texture was amazing, rich and velvety, the flavors tempered by the jamon; this was really good.

Only to be topped by the Foie a la Plancha – this was so good, seared, rich, the flavor amazing.

And yet, the Carrillera (pork cheeks) might have easily been the best item of the evening…perhaps of our entire stay in San Sebastian.

Fork tender, the sauce having a slight hint of sweet, teetering on the edge of too rich….but just holding that line. The texture of the pork was just plain perfect for me. Not falling to pieces, but yielding to the touch.

Plus our Server was just amazing. So busy, but also very friendly and efficient.

So, perhaps we missed out on places like Zeruko, Ganbara, La Cuchara de San Telmo, and A Fuego Negro, but we got to do Atari times two, and that made our stay in San Sebastian a success.

Sirimiri Atari Akademy and Atari Gastroteka
Calle Mayor 18
San Sebastian/Donostia, Spain

After dinner we took a walk around. Business was picking up, but things were still rather quite as we walked to the muelle (port).

Then past the City Hall……

Then back to the apartment for a nightcap of Txakoli……..

We'd finally gotten a taste of San Sebastian…..

Bruges: Rock Fort

December 28, 2015 mmm-yoso Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Fine Dining, Travel

We really only had one full day in Bruges. And in the end it worked out well for us. The place was beautiful in the morning and later evening, when day-trippers left, but it was still rather crowded, and like I mentioned in a earlier post, you pretty much needed reservations for the better dinner locales. Luckily, the wonderful owner of our B&B managed to get us reservations at one of the restaurants that she said were among her favorites in Bruges. A place named Rock Fort. The reservations were for two bar seats which was fine with us. We were just happy to find a place to have a nice dinner.

We headed out early, happy to meander along the side streets, watching the ducks waddling along the sidewalks.

We soon found ourselves back at the City Hall Building. And decided to take a rest as the slow drizzle had petered out.

I noticed something a bit odd and pointed out these four young ladies in various costumes standing in the square.

I wasn't quite sure what this was all about, but we just had to stay and watch. Out popped another young lady with a video recorder and they did several takes of the four of them doing sort of a choreographed strut toward the camera. After finally getting it right, they celebrated with a group hug! What the objective was, who knows…..perhaps only they do? I won't even try to explain this one. Sometimes you see the oddest things.

Rock Fort is located not quite in the center of things, but just across one of the canals; where Hoogstrat turns into Langenstraat.

The façade is subdued and unassuming.

But the interior looks quite hip and very bright white. We entered and the very nice host said that since we were the first customers of the evening, if we thought we'd be done in 2 hours, they'd like to give us a table. Very gracious, the servers hit that balance between not being too stiff, yet professional and amiable.

As the evening passed, we saw quite a few "beautiful people, on several tables there were college aged young men with older women……a middle aged gentleman, dressed to the nines arrived with an entourage, sans reservations, one of the chefs came out to greet them. Apparently they had no reservations. After a short discussion, or should I say negotiation, they ended up sitting at the bar.

As we often will do when confronted with Tasting Menus; we'd work with the staff to get both menu items and the tasting menu, which was no problem here. The Missus had some wine, while I went for a beer….as I went down the menu, looking for something suitable, the cheerful young lady would nod a slight "no"….apparently she did not approve! Finally, I asked "La Chouffe"…..she smiled brightly and said; "good choice". I loved this place!

I did think the buttery popcorn that came along with the cheese and bread was fun and different.

Instead of going thru the entire dinner. I'll go over the highlights. It was actually two choices from the menu that were really outstanding.

The Entrecote of Flemish Beef – wet aged for a month, cured for a month, then dry aged for a month was outstanding.

Topped with pine nuts; this aged rib eye served raw was amazingly flavored, a deep, yet clean beef flavor. The pine nuts added a nutty and slightly sweet flavor to the dish.

The Beef Tartar was also outstanding.

Loved the scallions in this, which added just the right pungency as did the roasted garlic, balancing the wonderful clean flavors. The watercress gave just the right amount of bitterness.

The Chef's menu was no slouch…I mean; there's foie gras, well prepared seafood, and pork belly.

And yes, touches of molecular gastronomy; foams, powders, and such, but nothing got in the way.

The presentation was nice….but nothing could top the two dishes ordered off the menu.

It was by far the best meal we had in Belgium.

Rock Fort
Langestraat 15
Bruges, Belgium

As we took a stroll after dinner, we noticed groups of people making their way up one of the streets.

There was some kind of fair taking place.

After wandering about for a bit; we headed back to the warmth of our room at the B&B.

Our time in Bruges was coming to a close. While I'm not sure if we'll ever return; I can say that B&B B Guest was one of our favorite B&B's we've stayed at; just two rooms, close to everything, but with enough privacy, and a nice breakfast. We took away another thing from our trip. It seemed that just about every place we stayed at had a Nespresso machine. It was nice having a little pick-me-up in the morning or afternoon. We ended up buying one when we got home. Yes, the Missus is a coffee snob, but sometimes She just needs a nice shot of espresso.

We headed off to sleep rather early. The next day, we'd be headed back to Brussels.

Thanks for reading!